When Did We Begin, We'll Never End
by ColtLady
Summary: Serena and Carter through the years. Carter centric mostly.
1. Childhood

A/N: Couldn't remember how much older Carter is then Serena so I made him 3 years older. Edited because Carter is 4 years older then Serena.

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Childhood

She's 5 and he' s 9. She's all giggles and blonde hair and pink ribbons. He's already decided he's above the playground games and sandbox sessions. When she approaches him he just keeps leaning against the slide, oblivious and indifferent.

"Hi." She says smiling broadly. "I'm Serena." He looks her up and down like he's seen the bad guys do in his favorite James Bond movies.

"Baizen. Carter Baizen." He replies like James Bond. She giggles.

"Chuck said that you won't play with us because you're too old." She says bluntly as only a child would. "But I told him that you'd play house with us." He pretends not to be interested but he can't help but admire her golden hair and ocean blue eyes. James Bond would have already swept her off her feet.

"House is for little kids." Carter replies and her face falls.

"But Nate has the chicken pox and Blair said I could be the mommy. Normally she gets to be the mom but she doesn't have anyone to play the daddy so she said I could be the mommy this time." Serena babbles on.

"Can't Bass be the daddy." He asks and her nose wrinkles.

"Chuck! Eew! He's got cooties!" In spite of himself Carter laughs. "Please." Her eyes are wide and pleading and she's biting her lower lip in a way that tells Carter she'll be trouble when she's older. He's watched a lot of James Bond and he knows a temptress when he sees one.

"I'm too old to play house but I'll make an exception for you doll." He says moving off the slide. She grabs his hand, her face lighting up into a wide smile.

"Oh, Carter!" She exclaims practically dragging him to where Blair and Chuck are arguing. "You're the coolest boy I know." She announces blushing before they join the bickering brunettes. Carter smiles in spite of himself.

*************************************

He's 11 and she's 7. He spots her first from across the park. Her nanny is flirting with some jogger and Serena is swinging on the swings. Carter hides his surprise under his jacket and marches over to her.

"Hello doll." He says and she smiles wide.

"Carter!" She exclaims jumping off the swing and hugging him. "Do you wanna play in the sandbox?" He smirks because she still loves the sandbox that he gave up years ago.

"I have a surprise for you." He tells her motioning with his head towards his hidden hands. "Do you wanna see it?" She nods excitedly, hoping it's a butterfly or a puppy.

He slowly moves his hands out and opens them. Serena screams because it is a gross, ugly frog and not a soft puppy or a beautiful butterfly.

"That's a horrible surprise Carter." She says scowling at him.

"Haven't you heard the fairy tale?" He asks her. She bites her bottom lip as she thinks and he can't help but wonder whether she will look like Ursula Andress when she grows up. Coming out of the sea in a white bikini.

"The Frog Prince?" She asks. He nods. "It's really a prince?" Carter nods again and her face lights up even more. "Blair says that every girl should have a prince."

"You should kiss it and he'll turn into a prince." Carter says moving the frog closer to her. She wrinkles her nose.

"I dunno I might get a wart." Serena says unsure.

"Those are toads this is a frog." Carter says matter of factually. She believes him because he is older and his eyes are sparkling at her.

"Okay." She closes her eyes tight and leans towards the squirming amphibian. Carter hesitates then throws the frog to the side and pressing his lips against hers like he's seen James Bond do a hundred times.

"Serena!" Her nanny has apparently struck out because she is barreling towards them. Serena stares at him wide eyed as she is pulled away.

"I told you the frog turned into a prince." Carter yells after her proudly. Serena raises her hand and touches her lips.

"You're no prince Carter Baizen." She calls.

*******************************************

She's 9 and he's 13. It's Blair's 9th birthday and Carter has managed to sneak in. The theme is Audrey Hepburn and Carter wonders if Audrey was ever a Bond girl. He seriously doubts it.

After listening to Chuck Bass brag about having kissed Kati Farkas in the closet Carter tells him that Kati is waiting for him upstairs in Blair's room. Of course this is a lie because Blair is upstairs getting ready and Chuck nearly loses an eye when Blair throws her mother's eyebrow pencil at him. Carter smirks quietly to himself. Suddenly she is there with her hands on her hips and her head tilted to the side.

"Why did you trick Chuck?" She asks angrily. Chuck is her friend so of course she protects him.

"For a laugh." He replies leaning against the wall and sipping on his Coke, indifferent as ever.

"It's not very nice." She tells him as if he didn't already know it.

"Thanks mom." Carter replies, rolling his eyes. She pouts at him and he once again wonders if James Bond ever knew a girl like Serena Van der Woodsen.

"If I was your mother I'd spank you." She tells him with a toss of her blonde hair. He smiles delighted.

"I'll let you spank me even though you're not my mother." He offers with a wink and her mouth falls open.

"Carter Baizen!" She is astounded. "I'm never speaking to you again!" She storms away, stomping her feet.

"Doll, I'm going to marry you one day." He calls and she sends him a glare over her shoulder. He just smiles into his Coke because he really hopes she changes her mind.


	2. Teenagers

Teenagers

He's 17 and she's 13. It's the day after his birthday and he just got his license. He wants to go driving and his friends are all too busy. He meets her on the street and makes her an offer she can't refuse.

"Go for a ride with me doll." He says and she barely hesitates. Even at 12 Serena van der Woodsen is fearless.

"You know how to drive?" She asks as they slip into his dad's new Jaguar convertible.

"Got my license." He is practically beaming, which is rare because he has honed his indifference into a wonderfully appropriate veneer. Only she seems to be able to crack it.

They race out of the city and head for the tunnel. The Jersey shore can't be far and he wonders if she brought a white bikini. Her hair is flying around her face and it's a fight to keep his eyes on the road. She is laughing and smiling. Her hand is twined with his and he smiles right back.

"Go faster!" She cries as they drive down a straight away. He's helpless and he presses the gas pedal closer to the floor. She squeals when she sees the sign for a drive in. He quickly takes the exit and pays the cashier. It's a double feature Night of the Living Dead and Alien. She screams and grips his arm. He thinks he's getting drunk from the smell of her hair.

It's during the second movie when he leans down to kiss her. He's done it once before but this time they are older and he's had some practice. She blushes and giggles. He smiles and interlaces their fingers.

He pulls up outside her building and kisses her again. She tastes like strawberries and cream, like freedom and youth.

"I like you Serena." He confesses playing with a strand of her hair. She looks down at her hands.

"I think I like Nate." She confesses. His heart crumbles.

*************************

He's 18 and she's 14. He meets her at a bar. She's drunk and laughing with Georgina, or Svetlana, he can't care enough to remember. She yells his name when she sees him and hugs him close. He hasn't had anything to drink yet but he the smell of her makes his head spin. She asks him to dance and whirls around him to the beat.

"I tried Tequila tonight." She whispers as he carries her to a cab. "It burned." He nods and gives the driver her address.

"Is your mom home?" Even Carter Baizen knows that Lily van der Woodsen is always gone.

"Nope, Claus took her skiing." Serena is happily playing with her hair, leaning against his chest. "Nate said my hair is pretty." She tells him and his heart sinks just a little.

When they arrive at her apartment she covers her mouth and he rushes her to the bathroom. Pulling back her hair as she gets sick.

"I don't like Tequila." She tells him after he helps her to bed.

"I know doll." He whispers kissing her forehead softly. His reputation would be ruined if anyone saw the infamous Carter Baizen kissing some girl's forehead like that but he doesn't care. Serena van der Woodsen is not just some girl. "Go to sleep."

"Carter." She whispers as her eyes closes and she drifts off to sleep. He takes one last look at her before closing the door and calling Blair. He can't stay and Blair is used to taking care of her free-spirited friend.

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She's 15 and he's 19. It's his graduation day. Everything he's been waiting for since he was 10 has arrived. He can travel the world and be his own man. His parents scoff and scold but he'll go anyways. He doesn't need their money.

He sees her on the other side of the street and calls out to her. She stops and her face breaks into a smile.

"Carter!" She hugs him and his head spins again. "Where are you going?" She asks gesturing towards his bags.

"I'm leaving this classist, money obsessed world behind." He announces, always in love with his own ideals. "I'm going to see the world."

Serena nods because she knows nothing else but the classism and money. She admires him for wanting to be free but she can't imagine leaving it all behind. "Send me a postcard." She tells him and leaves. He watches her walk and admires the way she's filled out, Ursula Andress has nothing on Serena van der Woodsen.

Two weeks later a postcard arrives with a picture of the pyramids on it.

Hey Doll,

The world has never seemed so large. The pyramids left me speechless. Imagine building something so large without machines just your hands. I've never felt so small.

Wish you were here. There's no one else I'd rather experience the world with.

Love, Carter.

***********************

He's 20 and she's 16. They are in Santorini. He sent her a postcard with his usual ending. Wish you were here. There's no one else I'd rather experience the world with. A week later she was at his hotel room and he smiled.

They went to the beach and the clubs. She's carefree and beautiful. He thinks it is all for him and he wonders if Nate Archibald has even noticed how gorgeous she is. On the third night she confesses.

"I came to find my dad." It's simple and direct just like when she was little. He nods and lets his heart break again.

"I'll help you."

They search and they watch, waiting. He flirts and she flirts back. He flirts with other girls too and she flirts with other boys. They pretend not to care.

On the tenth day they go to the beach again and she wears a white bikini. He's mouth won't stay closed and his eyes are wide. As she comes out of the water the world stops and it is only him and her. James Bond would have forsaken all others for just a glimpse of Serena van der Woodsen. Cater Baizen would do anything for her.

They return to their hotel and he kisses her. She kisses him back and they tumble into bed. They're not each other firsts and they won't be the last. But the night feels like forever. He's never seen anyone so beautiful and she's never been with anyone so gentle. It's passionate and sweet and something else that neither wants to say aloud.

In the morning he wakes with a smile. He reaches out to pull her close but all he feels is space. Her suitcase is gone and she hasn't left a note. The manager tells him she took the first boat out. Once again she's managed to break his heart.


	3. Not Yet Grown Up

Adult

She's 17 and he's 21. Her grandmother tricked her into letting him escort her to cotillion. He couldn't be happier and she couldn't be angrier. Even getting punched by the golden Nate Archibald won't ruin his night. She is stunning in gold, the golden goddess of his dreams. Goldfinger couldn't have found a golden statute more beautiful.

"I'm sorry about Nate." She says holding a glass to his eye.

"Not the first time I've been punched." He replies unable to look away from her. "So, Dan." She blushes and his heart sinks just a little.

"I'm falling for him." She confesses quietly.

"I fell once." He tells her staring deep into her eyes. "I don't think I ever recovered." She looks away because she thinks she knows who he might have fallen for.

Later he sees Dan Humphrey sweep her, literally, off her feet and he can't help but wish it was him. James Bond never let the other man get the girl.

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He's 22 and she's 18 and she's finally his. Serena van der Woodsen is his. He's the one she smiles at, the one she lays next to at night. He's never been so happy and he's never been so afraid. Everything is telling him to run, run far away and never look back.

Only his heart is telling him to stay and he listens because it's been 13 years and he might never get another chance.

"I might love you." She blurts it out one night when they are laying the dark. He freezes, no one has ever loved him before. He never gave them the chance. He's loved her so long it makes it even harder to say it out loud.

"I'm not Nate or Dan." He replies instead, hoping she remembers that he isn't the golden boy or the poet. He is the traveller, the manipulator, the bad boy, the one that girls leave behind to marry a nice boy.

"I'm glad." She whispers back and his heart soars.

He gets up to leave in the morning and she grabs his arm. "Stay, Stay for me." She says it like it means stay in bed but it sounds like don't run, don't leave me.

"I'm not going anywhere." He replies but it sounds like I love you.

***********************

She's 19 and he's 23. He surprises her with a trip to Paris for her birthday. Chuck lends him the Bass jet and they stay at the Bass hotel in Paris. It's the least Chuck can do because he loves his adopted sister and he sees how happy she is with Carter.

He takes her to dinner on the Eiffel Tower. She is mesmerized by the city's lights and he is mesmerized by her. They laugh as they remember when he introduced himself as Baizen. Carter Baizen and she giggles when he mentions The Frog Prince. Everything is perfect.

It's his moment and he gets down on one knee. The ring has been custom made just for her. The stone in the center is a sapphire because it reminds him of her eyes. The diamonds on the sides sparkle. She gasps and looks at him wide eyed.

"Marry me." He had a speech but he can't remember it because she's looking at him like that.

"Yes."

He slides the ring on her finger, sweeps her off her feet, and kisses her. He wants to shoot from the top of the Effiel Tower that he, Carter Baizen, is really going to marry Serena van der Woodsen.

***********************

He's 26 and she's 22. She wants to get married. He wants to run. They've been fighting for months and it's not getting any better. She's tired and he's fed up. They were supposed to be wild and carefree but all he feels is trapped.

"Serena, what do you want from me? I am who I am." He's said it a hundred times before and he'll say it a hundred more.

"I know you'll never change Carter and maybe that's the problem." She tells him her eyes full of tears.

"I tried, Serena, I really did." It's the truth but somehow it doesn't help. Too many fights and too many angry words have made the words ring false.

"Just go." She says turning away from him. She takes off her sapphire ring and hands it to him. "Go, before I beg you to stay." He tells her to keep the ring and leaves, his bags were already packed.

Serena crumbles to the floor, tears flowing down her cheeks. He wasn't Dan. He wasn't Nate and she never wanted him to be. She wanted him to be forever.


	4. Adults

Grown Ups

He's 30 and she's 26. It took them four long years to find their way back to each other. Too many angry words and long miles keeping them apart. But they finally found their way back together and this time it would be different. It would be forever.

He had run far enough, he was tired and he missed her everyday. She had cried long enough, she was broken and she needed him. It was finally their forever.

Jenny made her a dress in 36 hours. It was sweet, simple, and so very Serena.

They had only been reunited for a month but she was walking down the aisle on her brothers' arms towards the man that would be her forever. The sapphire ring back on her finger and the only way Carter wanted to run was to her.

As the minister read the vows Serena thought he looked just like James Bond in his tux. Carter wondered if being James Bond might be somewhat overrated. Bond may have his martinis, shaken not stirred, and all his women but he had Serena Baizen. Lily cried while Chuck and Blair whispered finally. Blair's hand resting on her seven months pregnant stomach.

As he leaned in to kiss his new bride Carter couldn't help but smirk.

"Didn't I tell you I'd marry you one day." He whispered in her ear and she giggled.

"Well, I always did have a soft spot for frog princes and suave 007." She whispered back kissing him softly.


End file.
